City report · Alabama, United States
Huntsville Air quality today
Air quality in Huntsville currently reads AQI 59 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 59
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 13.6
- tree cover
- 34.9%
- trees in this area
- 110K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Quigley, Huntsville, AL 35801, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 15, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Huntsville · AQI 59 (Moderate)
Huntsville's tree count comes to 109,642 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Huntsville today: AQI 59, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 09:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Blossomwood, 2.1 mi (3.3 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
13.6
PM10
18.0
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, AirNow, Coderage
- Outdoor exercise
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier
- Windows
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution
- Mask
- Not needed for most people
- Air purifier
- Worth running if you are sensitive
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Huntsville's daily AQI at 30 on average, from 12 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 64 on Nov 5.
Where Huntsville stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Huntsville: Healthy tree cover
34.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
109,642
Target trees
109,642
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Huntsville lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Huntsville has lost about 2,270 acres (917 hectares) of forest (about 1,700 football fields): 6.5% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (74%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,270 acres (917 ha)about 1,700 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 6.5%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,670 acres (675 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2008, when about 189 acres (77 hectares) of forest were lost.
Acres of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 91 acres (37 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 97 acres (39 ha) |
| 2002 | 38 acres (15 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 42 acres (17 ha) |
| 2003 | 24 acres (10 ha) | under 1 ha | 25 acres (10 ha) |
| 2004 | 59 acres (24 ha) | 14 acres (6 ha) | 73 acres (30 ha) |
| 2005 | 64 acres (26 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 69 acres (28 ha) |
| 2006 | 54 acres (22 ha) | 15 acres (6 ha) | 69 acres (28 ha) |
| 2007 | 155 acres (63 ha) | 10 acres (4 ha) | 165 acres (67 ha) |
| 2008 | 50 acres (20 ha) | 139 acres (56 ha) | 189 acres (77 ha) |
| 2009 | 15 acres (6 ha) | 28 acres (12 ha) | 43 acres (18 ha) |
| 2010 | 107 acres (43 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 113 acres (46 ha) |
| 2011 | 30 acres (12 ha) | 57 acres (23 ha) | 87 acres (35 ha) |
| 2012 | 23 acres (9 ha) | 26 acres (11 ha) | 48 acres (20 ha) |
| 2013 | 59 acres (24 ha) | 9 acres (4 ha) | 68 acres (27 ha) |
| 2014 | 85 acres (34 ha) | 19 acres (8 ha) | 104 acres (42 ha) |
| 2015 | 49 acres (20 ha) | 11 acres (5 ha) | 61 acres (25 ha) |
| 2016 | 94 acres (38 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) | 100 acres (40 ha) |
| 2017 | 72 acres (29 ha) | 13 acres (5 ha) | 85 acres (34 ha) |
| 2018 | 65 acres (26 ha) | 18 acres (7 ha) | 83 acres (34 ha) |
| 2019 | 59 acres (24 ha) | 90 acres (36 ha) | 149 acres (60 ha) |
| 2020 | 68 acres (28 ha) | 9 acres (4 ha) | 77 acres (31 ha) |
| 2021 | 95 acres (39 ha) | 19 acres (8 ha) | 114 acres (46 ha) |
| 2022 | 81 acres (33 ha) | 59 acres (24 ha) | 139 acres (56 ha) |
| 2023 | 77 acres (31 ha) | under 1 ha | 77 acres (31 ha) |
| 2024 | 64 acres (26 ha) | 8 acres (3 ha) | 72 acres (29 ha) |
| 2025 | 90 acres (36 ha) | 28 acres (12 ha) | 118 acres (48 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Huntsville?
- Towns and roadscleared for good65% · 1,470 acres (594 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back25% · 561 acres (227 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good6.2% · 141 acres (57 ha)
Also: mining and energy, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 44,300 acres (17,900 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 44,600 acres (18,000 ha)
- Overall change
- +294 acres (119 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Huntsville stayed about the same size, at about 44,600 acres (18,000 hectares): new forest grew on about 1,470 acres (593 hectares), and about 1,170 acres (473 hectares) were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
In the same region
Measured cities near Huntsville
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Chattanooga121.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 53
- Murfreesboro125.3 km
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- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 28
- Birmingham136.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 74
- Nashville160.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 11%
- Air quality
- 33
- Tuscaloosa191.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 40%
- Air quality
- 26
- Clarksville211.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 44%
- Air quality
- 7
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Frequently asked
Questions about Huntsville
What is the air quality (AQI) in Huntsville right now?
The latest reading for Huntsville shows an AQI of 59 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 09:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Blossomwood, 2.1 mi (3.3 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Huntsville today?
At AQI 59 (Moderate): fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier. Windows: fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution. Masks: not needed for most people. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Huntsville been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Huntsville's daily AQI at 30 on average, from 12 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 64 on Nov 5. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Huntsville lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Huntsville has lost about 2,270 acres (917 hectares) of forest (about 1,700 football fields): 6.5% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (74%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Huntsville stayed about the same size, at about 44,600 acres (18,000 hectares): new forest grew on about 1,470 acres (593 hectares), and about 1,170 acres (473 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Huntsville?
Huntsville has an estimated 109,642 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 34.9% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Huntsville need?
Huntsville has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Huntsville's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Quigley, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Quigley; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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